| EVENT REPORT 04.18.07 9:00 PM |
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| $2M MS Benefit Packs in Talent, Onstage and Off |
| Nancy Davis's 14th annual fund-raiser brought a packed slate of bigwig guests—bien sur—and spirited entertainers like Donna Summer and Earth, Wind & Fire. |
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| Nancy Davis and Tommy Hilfiger declared “Dance to Erase MS” as the theme of the 14th annual “Race to Erase MS” benefit on April 13, and clearly the longtime gala co-chairs weren’t taking no for an answer. By the evening’s end, disco icon Donna Summer, a rare sight on the event circuit and a friend of Davis’s, had the crowd at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza on their stilettos, crowding the stage and boogying to the music. Summer’s siren call capped a concert that also included rousing performances by Earth, Wind & Fire, the Goo Goo Dolls, and the Bombshell Babies. |
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PHOTO GALLERY |
 | | Celebrities and models showed off Tommy Hilfiger’s ready-to-wear collection. |
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 | | Donna Summer performed a rare special-event set for the assembled group. |
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 | | Mardi Gras-style beads served as whimsical napkin rings. |
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 | | Hyatt chef Manfred Lassahn served beef tenderloin with fried onions and baked potatoes with sour cream and chives. |
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 | | Stylish desserts included white chocolate grand pianos filled with dark chocolate mousse. |
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 | | Actress Jennifer Tilly strutted with an English bulldog puppy that—ahem—fetched $20,000 in the live auction. |
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Race to Erase MS executive director Liz Zigal produced the event with hands-on supervision by the dedicated Davis. It began with a Davis family special—one of the biggest silent auctions in town. Guests had a leisurely two hours to sip cocktails and cruise more than 1,000 items. Mindy Weiss Party Consultants dressed the football-field-size silent auction area in black and gold curtains, an elegant pairing inspired by the invitations produced by Hilfiger’s design team. Then the crowd of 1,300 moved to the ballroom, which picked up the palette with coordinating tabletops: fuzzy black tablecloths, wheat-colored napkins wrapped in necklaces made of black and gold plastic beads, and multilevel centerpieces of butter-colored roses set in sparkly silver boxes.
As guests dove into dinner, Nicole Richie, Donovan Leitch, and other celebrities joined a platoon of models strutting down the catwalk-enhanced stage in Hilfiger’s ready-to-wear. That kicked off the show produced by Associated Television International, with executive producer Suzanne de Passe and musical director David Foster. This year’s event didn’t end with the performers’ final bow. Revelers were invited to a post-party at the Century Plaza’s hip new Xbar, where the festivities continued until 2 a.m. The evening raised $2.5 million for the Nancy Davis Center Without Walls, which fosters collaboration among research scientists and doctors at seven universities and hospitals.
—Irene Lacher
Posted 04.19.07
Photos: Silvia Mautner
RELATED TOPICS
Race to Erase MS
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